Yoruba World Congress: Voyage to The Hague

Abiodun Akomolafe

 

NOT too long ago, the president of the Yoruba World Congress (YWC), Banji Akintoye, announced the acceptance of the Yoruba nation into The Hague, Netherlands-based Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) as its 45th member. While one cannot but congratulate Akintoye and his colleagues for their efforts, Nigerians have since the announcement been asking what the Yoruba nation stands to gain from such a venture.

Well, let me begin by confessing that one of the antics of politics is to make personal interests seemingly look like those of the masses. Even, in a democracy, where people are actually elected democratically, beyond the hollow formality of public administration, and farcical antics of politics, decisions of public office holders are seldom democratic. Policy-decisions are made with the least consideration for the objective interest of the masses. Yet, those decisions are deemed to have been made on behalf of the masses. At that level, the outcome of decisions is no longer in the pursuit of democracy and it is neither in the interest of the masses per se. At that stage, the political actors pretend as if the policy being pushed is actually in the objective interest of the masses; whereas, these political office holders are the greatest beneficiaries of the anticipated outcome. It’s therefore a question of what Max Weber said when he was talking about the limitations of democracy. Weber’s position is that,‘mutatis mutandis’, an ideal, or, pure democracy, is an adorable illusion!

The above obviously paints a vivid picture of YWC’s mission to The Hague. But, in other to appreciate this episodic drama, some questions may suffice. First and foremost, how couldYWC, whose existence my parents in the village were not even aware of, say it has taken their ethnic nationality somewhere for registration as a member? Was a referendum, mandating YWC, or any socio-cultural organization for that matter, to take it to any international organization, conducted by the Yoruba nation? If it didn’t have the people’s mandate, on what basis then did YWC undertake that project? What really is the Congress looking for and how does the UNPO membership turn into benefits for everybody? Yes! Yoruba is a nation searching for national identity! But, what’s the YWC’s angle? Does it mean that, if we form Yoruba nation as a country, all our problems will be solved in one day? Who among Yoruba leaders has ever asked of the contents of my interests and has as such taken it upon himself or herself to fight for my interest as a Yorubaman on the basis of being my Yoruba leader?

From the look of things, YWC’s voyage to The Hague was nothing but fraud and an abuse of privilege because the Congress, whose population is infinitesimal compared to that of the Yoruba nation, was never given any mandate to do that. One will even be shocked if the group is up to 100 in population! So, on whose authority was YWC surrendering the destiny of the Yoruba nation? It was also unwise for UNPO to have taken some documents and, based on their face value, assume them to be sacrosanct without verifying same from those whose future was at stake.

That said, one bigger issue is that Yorubas are not one; and the fact that they are not one has not been a virtue. Yes! It is possible for one to disagree without being disagreeable. While this gives room for consensus on issues that all agree to, the problem with being disagreeable is that it confronts the anomaly of development. Take for instance, the late Ladoke Akintola was not all that a bad man; and Obafemi Awolowo was not without his human frailty and failings. But, had the Yoruba nation been able to make the best of their apparent irreconcilable differences, it most probably would have resulted in one strong, indivisible Yoruba family. A little from Awolowo, plus a little from Akintola would have been better for the Yoruba nation. Sad that the bitter politics of the First Republic ruined everything for everybody: Awolowo lost the day while Akintola did not have it either! At the end of the day, Yoruba nation didn’t have anything! It was that bad! It is this ‘boo ba, o pa, boo ba, koo buu lese’ inordinate ambitions of the past that have brought us to this pitiable pass and our generation has been worse for it. So, it is time these no-clear-cut-definition, no-defined-ideology and no-specified-direction stuffs were discontinued in the interest of the Yoruba nation.

It’s time YWC desisted from misleading the Yorubas into thinking that it has initiated them into a cult or a foreign organization. Of course, that’s how seeds of discord are sown. With the way YWC is currently conducting its business, nobody needs a seer to know that Emeka Ojukwu can be said to be a lot better than its promoters. Unlike the Yoruba leaders who claim to be fighting on behalf of the masses whose impact the masses have never felt, the Biafran warlord truly planned to secede from the rest of Nigeria. Not that it was good, but, at least, his mission was clear and he never hid behind a finger.

Again, this is a warning to other leaders who will want to tread YWC’s path. If they can’t be part of the solution to Yoruba’s problem, in the name of God, they shouldn’t be part of the problem. No! The struggle for the emancipation of the Yorubas needn’t be about ‘buying and selling’, a situation that has always bestowed on them a calligraphy of agony and a mosaic of misery. If the Yorubas are that troubled or overwhelmed, let them meet and discuss the matter. Legally, it is possible for us to begin to do that! But this one is out of the blue. Therefore, let those who went to register Yoruba nation with some spurious foreign organizations go and deregister it without delay. After all, nobody asked them to register us in the first place. If YWC wants to be known for the act, then, let YWC earn it! Indeed, the processes leading to that are clear. If, thereafter, YWC wants to take the Yoruba nation, even, to the United Nations, Nigerians will support it. For now, enough of messianic propositions that are only worthy of utopian solutions!

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Yorubaland!

 

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